After a three-year investigation on Wednesday 18/07, the EU fined Google $ 5 billion for violating the block's competition rules with its Android operating system
The company is accused of abusing its dominant position in the market through connections with mobile phone manufacturers such as Samsung (South Korea) and Huawei (China), thereby blocking competitors and impeding competition. The European Commission has long complained that Google requires manufacturers to install search engines and Google Chrome browsers on mobile phones and set Google default search "Today, the Commission has decided to grant Google a fine of 4.34 billion euros (5 billion US dollars – Red) for violating the antitrust regulations of the EU, "said the commissioner. Competition from the EU Margrethe Vestager at a press conference in Brussels. "[Google] has been involved in illegal practices to strengthen its dominant position in the Internet search market."
According to EU rules, Google could be sentenced to 10% of the earnings of the parent company Alphabet.
Vestager was very noisy and is targeting a series of Silicon Valley giants like Apple and Amazon in his four years of tenure as the EU's competition commissioner. He won praise in Europe but irritated Washington.
Android is the most used mobile operating system in the world and operates on approximately 80 percent of mobile devices worldwide. Free Software is provided free to manufacturers, while Google generates revenue from the advertisements displayed in its application.
vlz / hp (AFP, dpa, Reuters)